Now, more than ever, a couple's honeymoon is as unique as the ceremony itself. Adventurous couples climb mountains or kayak through turbulent waters. More-traditional couples spend languid days on white-sand beaches. Culture-loving couples head to Europe. And thanks to a growing movement in eco-tourism, green couples can opt for environmentally friendly getaways.

“There are a lot of eco-lodges and hotels that are eco-friendly and have activities that focus on the environment,” says Ayako Ezaki, director of communications for the International Ecotourism Society. She says Central America and the Caribbean seem to be the most popular destinations for eco-minded couples, both for their romantic settings and the slew of new eco-friendly properties.

For some, the term “eco-tourism” may conjure images of mosquito nets, natural thatch huts and bland organic cuisine. While there is some of that, the span of eco-tourism ranges from the hands-on and adventurous to the downright luxurious.

Finding a Location

You can reduce your honeymoon's carbon footprint by selecting hotels and excursions committed to environmentally responsible practices. Even airlines are going green. In a recent ranking released by sustainable directory greenopia.com that measured everything from an airline's carbon offsets to the fleet's age, Virgin America and Continental Airlines were found to be the most eco-friendly. Internationally, hotels are making strides to buy and hire locally, implement solar power and reduce water and electric consumption. Some take it a step further by offering green-specific packages and activities, from tree planting to educational presentations on sustainability.

To get started, visit such Web sites as conservation.org, ecotourism.org and ethicaltraveler.org. These have destination guides, expert directories and suggestions on how to assess the sustainability of a particular hotel or amenity. If you're set on a certain hotel or resort, try calling or e-mailing to learn more about its sustainable practices. Where does the food in its restaurants come from? How many employees are local? Does the hotel make contributions to the community?

Here's a sampling of eco-friendly destinations with special honeymoon packages recommended by Ezaki, of the International Ecotourism Society.

Lapa Rios Rainforest Ecolodge Costa Rica Set on more than 1,000 acres of nature preserve in the middle of a Costa Rican tropical rainforest, Lapa Rios aims to protect the land on which it stands. Honeymooners stay in bungalows and can choose a boat ride in Golfo Dulce with a nature guide, horseback riding on the beach or planting a tree in the lodge's rainforest reserve as a “memory of your unforgettable honeymoon.” The lodge's buildings and paths incorporate erosion control; water is solar heated, and the local staff practices manual gardening. www.laparios.com

Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, Belize When Hamanasi was built on a 10-acre nature preserve, to avoid deforestation, the rooms were placed in the trees rather than on top of them. As part of the Seaside Romance Package, couples can choose to stay in a honeymoon suite or a treehouse. The package includes a choice of five adventures. Try barrier reef diving, jungle river kayaking or canoeing, a Mayan history tour or a trip to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve. To promote sustainability, the resort uses old linens as rags, replants floral cuttings, and composts vegetable and fruit scraps to be used in on-site gardens. www.hamanasi.com

Hotel Mockingbird Hill Jamaica Hotel Mockingbird Hill promises to offer “the luxury of sharing quality ‘new couple' time that will neither break the bank nor the environment.” The honeymoon package includes breakfast on the balcony, daily four-course dinners and a bamboo raft cruise on the Rio Grande. For each booking, the hotel contributes to the Jamaican Conservation Development Trust, and the facilities feature such eco-friendly designs as solar energy, rainwater harvesting and natural air-conditioning. www.hotelmockingbirdhill.com

Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, Bali Sarinbuana's honeymoon package includes such traditional amenities as daily in-room breakfast, a candlelit dinner and couples' massages, but the lodge also offers more unique options. The locals can teach you Balinese calligraphy, Balinese wood carving, Indonesian cooking or bamboo Rendik or Balinese flute playing. Or you can take a half-day workshop on permaculture and sustainability, or play with the lodge's five pet monkeys. Sarinbuana uses natural cleaning products, including locally produced liquid soaps and insect repellents; features organic on-site gardens; and even uses banana leaves as drink coasters. www.baliecolodge.com

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